1
as in raw
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining
a sizable spill of crude oil along a coastline is the worst kind of environmental disaster
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in primitive
belonging to or characteristic of an early level of skill or development
the crude stone tools that those prehistoric peoples used
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vulgar
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
crude jokes can be considered sexual harassment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste
any discussion of one's money is considered crude by the club's blue-blooded members
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
a crude hut that was constructed by some shipwrecked sailors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of crude
Industry engineers say that the state’s crude pipelines, which carry heavy oil, are approaching a tipping point.
—
Lora Myers, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
One of the reasons why gas prices are low is because crude oil prices are low.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
This means exposing the shoulders, showing too much leg above the knees, or wearing clothing with crude or inappropriate imagery.
—Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
And going after firms because the Administration has a grudge against a specific lawyer who works there is unprecedented, and represents a crude weaponization of executive power.
—Fabio Bertoni, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crude
Lora Myers, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
One of the reasons why gas prices are low is because crude oil prices are low.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
This means exposing the shoulders, showing too much leg above the knees, or wearing clothing with crude or inappropriate imagery.
—Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
And going after firms because the Administration has a grudge against a specific lawyer who works there is unprecedented, and represents a crude weaponization of executive power.
—Fabio Bertoni, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crude
Adjective
-
Up to 95 percent of a brand’s emissions sit outside its direct control, scattered across a messy web of suppliers, mills, logistics partners, and raw-material sources.—
Gus Bartholomew,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Always thoroughly wash your hands after handling and preparing food, especially raw or uncooked meats and produce.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
Freep.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Whether towing its matching trailer or not, the Elevance SUV is carefully designed for moving confidently from city streets to primitive stretches of off-road.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Oct. 2025
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The study also explains why some primitive meteorites formed millions of years later than the first solid bodies in the solar system.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Who decides what’s decorous and what’s vulgar?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Each project presented at MIA is picked with a genuine desire for these works to come to the fore, not by crass commercial considerations.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Free speech covers the jokes, the satire, the parodies—even the dumb, crass, or offensive ones.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
What resulted is one of the most comic, counterproductive, and clumsy episodes in the long history of British efforts to deal with Ireland.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
-
So, how did Musk go from a champion of the internet’s go-to reference resource to this clumsy attempt at killing it?—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Discarded glass is now crushed and made into sand, which is then used to form paving stones throughout the resort—allowing the natural beaches to remain untouched.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Seal up all items made with natural animal fibers before returning them to the closet.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The concept is similar to the rare cases of humans who are born with rudimentary tails, a trait that was seen in primate ancestors over 25 million years ago, according to Brian Hall, research professor emeritus in evolutionary cell biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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A lot of what is unwieldy about Down Cemetery Road stems from the source novel, which predates the Slough House series and showcases a writer with an exceptional gift for dialogue and characterization but a more nascent sense of rudimentary storytelling.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Beside one of those blandly obscene bidets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
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But the show avoided an FCC probe as the West Coast delay was censored, and the East Coast broadcast aired after the 6am-10pm window during which obscene content is prohibited on broadcast TV and radio.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crude. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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